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Photo: Martha Williams

Onion ice cream with roasted apricots
Timothy Dahl of Blackbird (619 W Randolph St, 312-715-0708)
Chef says “Historians agree that the name Chicago comes from the Native American word for ‘stinky onion.’ This ice cream is made with caramelized wild onions and it’s paired with apricots that have been roasted with honey and vanilla beans. The dish is finished with a drizzle of Villa Manodori balsamic vinegar, chive blossoms and candied wild onions.”
Taster says Who knew onions could make a great dessert? The onions in the ice cream are caramelized, making them sweet, and the candied onions underneath add great crunchy contrast. The balsamic adds a tangy element and depth of flavor. Refined, direct flavors combined perfectly.

Photo: Martha Williams

Neighborhood tribute
Jessie Oloroso of Scylla (1952 N Damen Ave, 773-227-2995)
Chef says “My concept is a neighborhood tribute—Chicago is all about great little neighborhoods. I’ve got the North Side/Devon—turmeric-and-saffron ice cream with a white chocolate–stuffed fried date; Boystown—tooty-fruity ice cream with a vanilla cupcake; Chinatown—milk-chocolate–sesame ice cream with a chocolate-dipped coconut macaroon; and the Bridgeport/White Sox area—salted peanut ice cream with a caramel-corn garnish.”
Taster says Fun, cute pairings. The peanut ice cream is a great mix of salty and sweet and goes nicely with the caramel-corn clusters. The white chocolate–curry ice cream has just the right subtle note of Indian spiciness.

Photo: Martha Williams

International coupe
Matt Kelley of Bin 36 (339 N Dearborn St, 312-755-9463)
Chef says “Chicago is such a melting pot of cultures that I based my ‘International Coupe’ on its diversity. A coupe is traditionally ice cream with fruit and cream served in a glass. This dessert has flavors from around the world. At the bottom is whipped Xocopili chocolate ganache topped with fresh cherry compote, then Sicilian pistachio ice cream, Morello (sour cherries from Eastern Europe) sorbet, yuzu (Japanese citrus) tapioca, chocolate-chipotle ice cream, pistachio Italian meringue, a cocoa nib tuile, two cocoa sticks and crispy chocolate rice nuggets.”
Taster says Great flavors, especially the chocolate-chipotle ice cream, and it’s a fun mix of textures, but it quickly turns into a literal “melting pot” with too many tastes blending together.

Photo: Martha Williams

Chicago strawberry short-dog
Ben Roche of Moto (945 W Fulton Mkt, 312-491-0058)
Chef says “I instantly thought of a strawberry shortcake Chicago-style hotdog. It has all of the components of strawberry shortcake, but it’s in the form of a Chicago hotdog. The bun is sponge cake coated with candied poppy seeds, the hotdog is strawberry sorbet, the tomato is a gelled strawberry puree, the relish is gelled mint puree, cream shards act as onions and the mustard is lemon curd.”
Taster says Superfun to eat, but the strawberry ice cream and lemon curd were a bit too potent, overpowering the mint relish and other flavors. The shortcake would have paired nicely with a creamier ice cream as opposed to a sorbet.

Photo: Martha Williams

Cinnamon-bunice-cream sandwich
Mindy Segal of HotChocolate (1747 N Damen Ave, 773-489-1747)
Chef says “I created an homage to Ann Sather—a cinnamon-bun ice-cream sandwich made by first baking a Danish dough ‘cake’ with an icing swirl and then sandwiching a scoop of cinnamon ice cream between two of them. There are sugar ‘cows on parade’ along the swirl of caramel.”
Taster says The cinnamon bun had a perfect chewy caramel bottom while still being fluffy, light and a perfect “sandwich” for the ultrarich ice cream.